T r a p p e d
by J. B. Tilton
Summary: The Source reprieves a demon he banished decades before in a plot to kill the Charmed Ones.  The demon then uses his power to trap the girls, Leo, and Cole in the manor with no way to get out.
1. Chapter 1

CHARMED

"Trapped"

By J. B. Tilton

Email: K

Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

(Authors' note: This story takes place between season 4 episodes "Brain Drain" and "Black As Cole".)

The Source reprieves a demon he banished decades before in a plot to kill the Charmed Ones. The demon then uses his power to trap the girls, Leo, and Cole in the manor with no way to get out.

PREFACE

A demon walked through the caverns of the Underworld. From all outward appearances this demon was nothing more than a normal human. However, it negotiated the passageways of the Underworld without the slightest hint of hesitation. A feat no human could have accomplished considering that it took even demons years to learn the minor nuances of each cavern.

The demon came to a passageway that led into a larger cavern beyond. It hesitated for a moment knowing what would happen as soon as it approached the entrance to the chamber. Smiling slightly to itself the demon walked nonchalantly toward the opening. Suddenly two demons shimmered in on either side of the open passage. These two demons were also in human form and towered over the shorter demon.

"What are you doing here?" demanded the demon on the left. "The personal chambers of the Source are off limits unless you have been summoned. And the Source has not informed us of any summons."

"I know," said the shorter demon. "I must see the Source. It is a matter of utmost urgency."

"Then you will request an audience with the Source in the usual manner," said the demon on the right. "All demons know of the procedure to gain audience with the Source. You are not allowed to simply walk in."

"I know," said the smaller demon. "But this is a special circumstance. And time is growing short. I must see the Source immediately."

"Be on your way," said the demon on the left. "You know the rules. You will abide by them or you will suffer the penalty all demons suffer who disregard the wishes of the Source."

"You don't understand," said the smaller demon. "The alignment will occur soon. Once it passes we will have missed our chance. Time is of the essence. I must see the Source immediately."

"You heard them," said a demon walking out of the chamber beyond. "No one sees the Source without an audience and you know the rules in gaining an audience with the Source."

The demon standing in the doorway towered over all the other demons. It stood some seven feet tall and its skin was a dark green - nearly black - with bright yellow markings. They appeared to be some type of tribal markings that resembled those worn by many other demons in the Underworld. Its eyes glowed bright red like two piercing spotlights in the dark.

"Malevant," gasped the smaller demon, immediately changing to its demonic form. The two demons standing guard outside the chamber remained in their human forms. "Forgive, advisor. I did not know you were here. But it is urgent that I see the Source immediately. There is no time to request an audience in the normal way. The alignment is almost upon us. If I were to request an audience in the normal way the alignment will pass before I can see the Source."

"What are you babbling about?" demanded Malevant. "What alignment? And what does this alignment have to do with your request to see the Source?"

"The alignment of the three inner planets," said the smaller demon. "When they are in the proper alignment a special magic may be used. This alignment comes only once every 200 years. The alignment will soon be in place. But there is no time to waste. While we stand her talking about it the alignment comes ever closer."

"And this magic you spoke of," said Malevant. "What does it have to do with the Source?"

"The magic can be used to rid the Source of his greatest enemies," said the smaller demon. "It can be used to rid him of the Charmed Ones."

Malevant eyed the smaller demon suspiciously. If this were a trick the demon would pay for it with its life. But the penalty for that was well known in the Underworld. And the penalty for angering Malevant was just as well known. Malevant could not see how any demon would risk being vanquished so brazenly.

"Let him pass," Malevant ordered. "But if this is a trick I promise that you will beg to be vanquished before I am through with you."

"It is not trick," defended the demon. "You'll see."

Malevant turned and entered the chamber with the smaller demon close behind.


	2. Chapter 2

ONE

Leo orbed into the manor and found Piper in the kitchen preparing lunch. She glanced over at him as the orb finished.

"Hey, sweetie," said Piper. "How did you White Lighter meeting go?"

"Fine," said Leo. "Just the normal stuff. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," said Piper. "I thought I'd make everyone a nice lunch before I went to open the club. Phoebe and Cole are in her room and Paige should be home in a few minutes. Now that you're here we're all set. Lunch will be ready in just a few minutes."

"Great," said Leo. "I'm starved. What say I help you open the club this afternoon? I'm not getting a call from any of my other charges right now. I think it's going to be a fairly quiet afternoon."

"White Lighter intuition?" Piper asked with a smirk on her face.

"Why not? I do have superhuman senses. Well, sort of anyway."

"Sure. I'd like some help with the club. It can get pretty boring setting it up. Not the most exciting job in the world."

"What's not the most exciting job in the world?" Cole asked as he and Phoebe came into the kitchen.

"Opening the club," said Piper. "It's usually the same thing every day and it can get kind of boring."

"Well, you're the one who wanted to open a nightclub," said Phoebe.

"Actually, I wanted to open a restaurant. I just decided it was easier and less hassle to open a club instead. I haven't given up on my dream of having my own restaurant just yet. One day I'm going to have that club, you just wait and see."

"That's the spirit," said Cole. "Never give up on your dreams."

"I'll second that," said Paige, coming into the kitchen. "Am I too late for lunch?"

"Right on time," said Piper. "Now, if the rest of you will help me take the food into the living room we can have a nice family lunch for a change. We're all usually so busy running errands or at work or something to enjoy a nice lunch together."

"Or fighting demons," Phoebe interjected.

"I was trying not to think about that part," said Piper.

"I don't blame you," said Paige. "I know I haven't been at this as long as the rest of you have but it seems like demons are popping in all the time. How do you learn to live with it?"

"We really don't have much choice," said Piper. "Being the Charmed Ones has certain risks inherent with it. Like demons wanting to make a name for themselves by killing us."

"You kind of get used to it after a while," said Phoebe. "It kind of gives you a sixth sense."

"That's good coming from someone who can see the future," said Leo.

"It's not like I have any control over it," said Phoebe. "It just sort of happens. Not like Piper's freezing or Paige's orbing. I'm the only one without an active power."

"But it's also a very important power," said Cole. "Without it you wouldn't know about half the innocents you have to protect or half the demons that were going to attack."

"Still, I'd like it if I had a power that I could control," said Phoebe. "Even a minor one."

"Well, you do write most of our Power of Three spells," said Piper. "And that's very important. Those spells alone have saved us more times than I can count."

"But even with all our power we can't save everyone," said Phoebe. "Mom died fighting a water demon. Shax killed Prue. Andy died fighting Rodriguez. It seems like everyone we care about ends up dying."

"I'm still here," said Leo.

"You don't really count," said Phoebe. "You're all ready dead. Besides, most demons can't hurt you. Not permanently. It takes a Dark Lighter to kill you."

"You still have me," said Cole. "And plenty of demons have tried to kill me especially since I vanquished the Triad."

"I know," said Phoebe. "It just seems like everyone else we know ends up dying. I just wish it didn't have to be that way. That there was some way to protect them from demons besides just our powers."

"You do very well with your powers," said Leo. "As many demons as you've fought it's a wonder things aren't worse than they are. It's like I keep telling you. Your magic protects you. And you protect the innocent. In the end there are a lot of people who owe their lives to you."

"Well, I can sympathize with her," said Piper. "Sometimes it seems like we just can't save enough of the innocents we're supposed to protect. Like that doctor who was killed when Prue died. We couldn't protect him well enough."

"You've saved more than you realize," said Cole. "More than most witches do in their entire lives. Trust me, I know. Most witches don't save half the number of people you guys have saved all ready. And you still have years ahead of you to save even more. Don't doubt yourselves. It may not always seem like it but your track record is exceptionally high."

"Well I for one wouldn't mind if we didn't have to go out after demons all the time," said Paige. "My boss gets upset when I disappear for hours on end. I can usually placate him with some story that I'm working on a case. But I'm not sure he always believes me."

"Hazards of the trade, I'm afraid," said Leo. "And unfortunately there isn't much you can do about it. You'll just have to learn to live with it."

"Oh, we are, believe me," said Piper. "But a girl has to have some dreams, doesn't she?"

"I thought your dream was to own your own restaurant?" snickered Cole.

"Can't we have more than one?" Phoebe asked. "Who says we only have to have a single dream?"

"No one I guess," said Cole. "But dreaming about it isn't going to change anything. Not as long as the Source is around."

"Okay, enough demon talk," said Piper. "We're supposed to be having a nice family lunch, not a strategy session on demons. I hereby declare a moratorium on any more demon talk until lunch is over."

The rest of lunch was free of demon talk. Just as Piper had wanted it was a nice, quiet family lunch. And when lunch was finished everyone even helped Piper clear the table. As they carried the last of the dishes into the kitchen a floor plant near the arboretum shuddered slightly and then changed form.

In its place stood a demon. The demon was barely four feet tall and was a uniform gray color. Its ears were highly pointed and it had two empty sockets where its eyes should have been. There were no other facial features to speak of. It glanced toward the kitchen and then quietly shimmered out of the manor.

A moment later the demon shimmered into a chamber in the Underworld. In the chamber stood the Source, Malevant, and the small demon that had initially insisted on seeing the Source. The demon turned and walked over to Malevant.

"Savro watch witches as Malevant say," said the gray demon in a halting English. "They talk with White Lighter and half demon."

"What did they talk about?" Malevant asked. The gray demon told them of the conversation that had gone on during the lunch. "Very good, Savro. Return to the lower chambers."

"It was dangerous to send such a low level demon to eavesdrop on the Charmed Ones," said the Source. "Especially so soon after the fiasco we recently went through. I nearly convinced the witch to strip their powers. If not for the White Lighter and the traitor I would have. But I used a Chameleon demon to gain information about them. You were lucky they didn't discover Savro."

"It was a calculated risk," said Malevant. "I figured they wouldn't suspect such an obvious ploy again so soon. It seems I was correct. Besides, Savro wasn't there long enough for him to be detected."

"Still," said the Source, "their conversation seems to have been very boring. Not much we can use I'm afraid. The chit chat of mortals can be so tedious."

"Perhaps not so tedious," said Malevant thoughtfully. "The first part of their conversation definitely has possibilities. Perhaps a way for us to finally be rid of those accursed witches."

"How?" asked the small demon. "As the Source said their conversation was enough to put any demon to sleep."

"That is because you don't listen, Lettrick," said Malevant. "To you it was nothing more than mundane chatter. But I have made a career of listening. And hearing things that others would not give a second thought to."

"You have a plan?" the Source asked.

"I believe I do," said Malevant. "But it will require that we bring in someone very special to deal with it."

"So you are saying that the information Lettrick brought me is useful?" questioned the Source.

"Very useful," said Malevant. "And he's right. If my plan is successful we will no longer be troubled by those accursed witches."

"Good," gloated the Source. "I have dreamed of the deaths of the Charmed Ones since they first appeared."

"Not just their deaths," said Malevant. "Also a way to punish them for their incessant interference."

"Punishment and death?" questioned the Source. "Malevant, a present for me? And it's not even the anniversary of my ascension."

"Anything to please you, my liege," Malevant replied. "Plus, there will be an added bonus as well."

"And just what added bonus would that be?" questioned the Source.

"The traitor," said Malevant. "My plan will also do away with the traitor, Belthazor, as well as vanquish him in the end."

"The Charmed Ones and the traitor, Belthazor?" the Source questioned gleefully. "I may have to promote you, Malevant. Such prizes warrant a special reward."

"If I may say, my lord," said Malevant, "I am all ready your primary advisor. I do not believe I could rise any higher in the hierarchy without replacing you. Which, of course, I could not possibly do. I serve out of my loyalty to you, not for any thought of reward."

"As always," said the Source. "If only the rest of my underlings were so trustworthy. Still, you have pleased me greatly. You have presented me with the greatest present any demon could have given me."

"Whatever you're going to do," said Lettrick, "you must do so quickly. The alignment will occur tomorrow night. If we miss it we will have to wait 200 years for the next one."

"Do not worry, Lettrick," said Malevant. "We have plenty of time to get things in place. But as I said, it will require we bring in someone very special for my plan to work. And only you, Source, have the authority to get that person for us."

"And just who is this special someone we will need to kill the Charmed Ones?" asked the Source.

"Devlin," said Malevant deliberately.

The Source's eyes narrowed at the sound of that name.


	3. Chapter 3

TWO

"I am so glad to be home," said Piper as she, Phoebe, and Paige walked into the manor. "That's the busiest the club has been all month. It was really crazy there tonight."

"Must be the full moon," said Cole, coming in the door behind them, Leo right behind him.

"I doubt the moon has anything to do with it," said Leo, closing the door behind them.

"I don't know," said Phoebe. "They've done studies and they've found things get crazier during a full moon. Emergency rooms are busier and crime goes up during a full moon."

"I still don't think the moon has anything to do with how busy the club was," said Leo. "I think people just all decided to go out and have a good time at the same time."

"Maybe," said Piper. "All I know is that I'm bushed. I barely got a chance to sit down the entire night. I'm going to bed. If anyone is hungry there are leftovers in the 'fridge."

"Well," said Leo, "I guess that's my cue as well. We'll see you guys in the morning."

"Not too early," said Phoebe. "I have the day off for a change and I'm going to sleep in late. God, I haven't had a chance to sleep in late in forever."

"Well, I still have to work," said Paige. "So I'll probably be gone when the rest of you get up in the morning."

"Enjoy," said Cole, smiling at her. "No rest for the wicked, as they say."

"I guess we're all crashing early," said Leo. "Good night everyone. We'll see you in the morning."

For once everyone headed to bed at the same time. Piper couldn't remember the last time that had happened.

Phoebe opened her eyes and looked at the clock next to her bed. The clock was blank. She looked at the window and saw that the sun had all ready risen. She picked up her watch from the nightstand. It read 10:17. She looked over at Cole who was still sleeping peacefully.

She hated to wake him up. It was rare that they got the chance to sleep in late. Especially together. But even though they had decided to sleep late they had also made plans for the day. Plans that she was looking forward to very much.

"Hey, sleepy head. Time to wake up."

Cole opened his eyes and looked up at her and then smiled.

"Hey. What time is it?"

"About 10:17. Apparently the power is off. The clock isn't working. There must have been a power outage during the night."

"Well, we did plan to sleep late, didn't we? I guess we should get up and get going. As I remember we had plans today."

"Yes we did," said Phoebe, kissing him passionately. "And if we don't want to be late we'd better get going."

They dressed quickly and headed down stairs. As they reached the bottom step Piper came out of the kitchen. She was still dressed in her bedclothes and wearing her slippers.

"Looks like we aren't the only ones who overslept," said Phoebe. "I guess the power went out during the night."

"Not just the power," said Piper. "The gas and the water aren't working either. And the phone is dead, too."

"That's odd," said Cole. "I suppose it's possible for everything to go out at the same time. I've just never heard of it happening."

"Well," said Phoebe, looking out the front room window, "nothing seems to be different outside."

"Hey, what's going on?" Leo asked, coming downstairs. "You let me oversleep."

"We got to bed kind of late," said Piper. "I thought I'd let you sleep for a while."

"Why did you do that?" Leo asked. "What if I had gotten a summons from one of my other charges or the Elders?"

"Then it would have woken you up like it always does," said Piper. "The fact that you slept this late proves you didn't get a summons."

"Well, I guess you're right," said Leo. "I noticed the clock in the bedroom wasn't working."

"Yeah," said Cole. "Apparently the gas and the water aren't working either. And the phone's out, too."

"Really," said Leo. "That's strange. I've never heard of all of them going out at the same time short of some kind of disaster."

"Well, there's no disaster," said Phoebe. "At least none I can see. Everything outside seems to be normal."

"Okay, did someone forget to pay the electric bill?" questioned Paige rushing out of the upstairs hallway. "My alarm didn't go off and I'm so late for work. And there doesn't seem to be any water, either."

"That's not all," said Piper. "We don't have any gas or phone, either."

"Well, at least I can use my cell phone to call my boss and let him know what's going on," said Paige, pulling her cell phone out of her purse. She dialed the number for the social office and put the phone to her ear. "That's strange. My cell phone isn't working either."

"This doesn't sound good," said Leo. "Even assuming that all the utilities have somehow gone out at the same time there's no reason Paige's cell phone shouldn't be working. Unless power has gone out all over the city and the cell towers aren't working."

"Are you sure your phone is charged?" Phoebe asked.

"I charge it every night," said Paige, looking at her phone. "And it's showing a full charge. What's going on here?"

"Maybe there was some kind of citywide utilities outage or something," suggested Phoebe. "That would explain why everything is out. There wouldn't be any power to the cell towers which would explain why Paige's cell phone isn't working."

"So, what do we do now?" Paige asked.

"I'll go next door," said Phoebe. "Maybe the neighbors know something."

"Good idea," said Piper, as Phoebe headed for the front door. "Leo, maybe you should orb to the Elders and see if they know anything? If nothing else they should be able to tell us what's going on."

"It shouldn't take long," said Leo. "Something this big should have been detected by the Elders as soon as it happened."

Phoebe opened the front door and started to exit the manor. But she never got outside. As she stepped through the doorway some invisible prevented her from leaving the manor.

"Uh, guys, something weird is going on here?" said Phoebe as she turned back to the others.

As she turned she saw Leo begin to orb. His orb rose from the floor and passed through the ceiling above. A moment later the orb passed back through the ceiling and struck the floor. The orb completed and Leo lay on the floor.

"Oh, that hurt," he said getting up.

"What happened?" Piper asked.

"I don't know," said Leo. "I started to orb to the Elders and suddenly something prevented me from orbing up there. Then I was thrown back here. It's like there's some kind of barrier that's preventing me from orbing out of the manor."

"I can't get out of the house either," said Phoebe. "There's some kind of barrier that's keeping me from leaving the front door."

"Let me try," said Cole.

Cole suddenly shimmered trying to leave the manor. Just like Leo, Cole encountered the same barrier and was forced back into the manor.

"You're right," said Cole, standing up. "That hurts. This isn't natural. Someone or something has created a magical barrier around the house that's preventing us from leaving. It has to be supernatural in origin."

"Ya' think?" Piper asked sarcastically. "Of course it's supernatural. The question is who's done it and why?"

"I think the why is pretty self-explanatory," said Cole. "If you can't get out of the manor you can't protect the innocent. But I have no idea about the who."

"That's not all," said Leo. "If we can't get out of the manor it makes us easier targets for demon attacks. If something happens we have no way to escape from the manor. We're trapped inside. And I can't even go to the Elders to see if they know who's doing this."

"Can't you contact them?" Paige asked. "You can talk with them telepathically. Even if you can't get out of the manor you should still be able to contact them, shouldn't you?"

"You would think so," said Leo. "But I've all ready tried that. I can't seem to contact them either. Whatever this barrier is it's also blocking my telepathic contact with not only the Elders but also any other White Lighters on the mortal realm. We're completely cut off."


	4. Chapter 4

THREE

"Any ideas?" Piper asked as she sipped her coffee.

"Well, at least we can have coffee," said Paige. "I never knew one of Cole's energy balls could do that."

"To be honest," said Cole, "neither did I. I guess the energy of the energy ball excites the molecules in the water the same way fire does."

"But that doesn't get us any closer to getting out of here than we were an hour ago," said Phoebe.

"Whatever this barrier is it's surrounding the entire house," said Leo coming back into the kitchen. "I've checked every door and window out of the manor and the barrier is blocking all of them. It doesn't make any sense. I don't know of any demon with the ability to create such an impenetrable barrier. At least not one that could block my telepathic ability anyway."

"It could be more than one demon working together," said Cole. "Maybe one that's creating the barrier that physically prevents us from leaving and another one that's blocking your telepathic ability. But it would take some very powerful demons to do that. And I'm not sure they'd work together anyway."

"Are we sure it's a demon?" Paige asked. "I mean presumably they created this barrier sometime during the night. But not even a single demon has shown up. It just seems strange they'd go through all this trouble and then not attack."

"She has a point," said Phoebe. "Like Leo said, this barrier is apparently designed to keep us from getting out of the manor. Why trap us in here and then not attack? It doesn't make any sense."

"It does if they can't get in," said Cole. "If we can't get out it stands to reason the barrier works both ways. Which means that demons can't get through it to get inside, either. It would require a great deal of power to create a barrier capable of doing everything this one is doing."

"That doesn't make sense," said Leo. "Whatever demons are behind this have to know that eventually the Elders are going to figure out what's going on. Especially when I don't check in or they try to contact me and can't. When that happens they'll use their powers to break this barrier. I can't imagine that even two or three demons working together can withstand the combined powers of the Elders."

"No, they couldn't," said Cole. "The Source might be able to but it would require all of his considerable power to maintain this barrier. And that would leave him vulnerable to any upper level demon that might have designs on dethroning him. He's not likely to leave himself vulnerable like that."

"Which leaves us back where we started from," said Paige. "Which demon or demons are doing this and why? If they haven't trapped us in here to attack us why have they trapped us in here?"

"I think it's like Leo said," said Cole. "With us trapped in here none of you can get out to protect any innocents that are in danger from demon attacks. Even if Phoebe should have a premonition there's no way to get to the innocents to protect them. This could be a prelude to something else. Some way to prevent the girls from stopping the demon attack."

"It must be a very important target to commit this kind of power to trapping the girls inside the manor," said Leo. "As I said, it would take a great deal of power to create a barrier like this. Even assuming there is more than one demon involved each would have to be using nearly all of their power for this barrier. Which brings up a frightening thought."

"Demons working together," said Piper. "Now that is a frightening thought. If demons begin to work together it could make our jobs harder."

"Not just you," said Leo. "If demons begin to work together it could cause problems for witches everywhere. One of the reasons good witches are able to defeat demons is because the demons don't work together. If they did they'd realize that if several attacked at the same time most witches wouldn't be able to resist them."

"Leo's right," said Cole. "Most demons won't work with other demons because they don't want to share any of the prestige or power their conquests bring them. They're more interested in advancing their own positions and power than whatever may be best for the Underworld as a whole. If a demon can't gain some advantage from such collaborations they aren't likely to work with other demons."

"But that may have changed," said Leo. "If more than one demon is involved in this it means that at least a few of them may have decided to put their differences aside and work together. If more demons decide to do we could have more of a problem than just this barrier."

"So, what do we do about it?" Phoebe asked. "We have no idea who's doing it let alone how. If this is a demonic prelude to some kind of attack we have to figure out who's doing it and how to get past this barrier."

"I'll check the Book of Shadows," said Paige. "There has to be something in there about magic this powerful."

"So, what else can we do?" Phoebe asked as Paige headed for the attic.

"A Power of Three spell might break this barrier," said Piper. "Even if two or three demons are working together a Power of Three spell should have to power to break their power."

"She's right," said Cole. "The Power of Three should be able to overpower the magic of all the demons that are involved. Unlike the girls demons can't combine their power together. Each would be using their powers independently of any other demons involved. But they would still be separate and distinct magicks. A Power of Three spell should be enough to overcome each individual magic."

"I'll get started on a spell right away," said Phoebe. "With a little luck I should be able to come up with something pretty quick."

"Well, at least we have enough food to last for a while," said Piper as Phoebe headed off to work on the Power of Three spell. "We also have some canned juice we can rely on for a while. With Cole's energy balls we should be able to cook at least some."

"You sound like you plan to be here a while," said Cole.

"Just planning for the worst," said Piper. "There's no telling how long we'll be trapped in this house. I figure we'll get out eventually but we have no way of knowing when that will be. We need to be prepared for the worst."

"Any more ideas about what we should do?" Leo asked.

"I think we should recheck the house," said Phoebe. "We might find a way out that you overlooked."

"I was very thorough," defended Leo. "I checked every place that I could even get my hand in. Even if it wasn't big enough for a body to fit through my orbing or Cole's shimmering can get through some pretty small spots. I checked everything that might have offered some form of escape."

"I don't doubt that sweetie," said Piper. "But it is possible you may have missed or overlooked something. I'm just suggesting we check again to make sure, that's all."

"Okay," said Leo smiling. "I guess it can't hurt to check. It is a pretty big house. I suppose there could be some place I didn't find."

"I'll start in the attic," said Cole. "A lot of these old houses have spots in the roof that should be easy to break through if I have to."

"I'll check the cellar again," said Leo. "Without any electricity it's pretty dark down there. I can use my powers to create light to see by."

"I'll check the first floor and then move to the second," said Piper. "We'll meet in the living room when we're done. If you find anything at all call out. The sooner we get out of the manor the sooner we can begin to look for whatever demon is doing this."

They all moved out to check their areas. Cole informed Paige in the attic what they were doing and Piper found Phoebe in the living room working on the Power of Three spell. She stopped just long enough to tell Phoebe what they were doing then immediately went to searching the first floor. When they had all finished they met in the living room just as they had planned.

"Well, there's nothing in the cellar," said Leo. "There's a small crack in the foundation wall but not big enough to do anything with."

"The ceiling is still pretty much intact," said Cole. "Whoever put that roof on did a really good job. I didn't find even a single weak spot I could exploit. And the window in the attic is covered in the same barrier as the rest of the house."

"Nothing down here or on the second floor either," announced Piper. "I thought we might be able to get out through the chimney but this damned barrier is right at end of my reach. It covers the entire opening of the chimney just like it covers all the doors and windows."

"Well," said Paige coming down the stairs, "I did find one entry similar to this. It's about some demon named Devlin that has the power to create some kind of force shield."

"It can't be Devlin," said Cole. "I knew him. Well, actually, I met him a couple of times. But about seventy years ago he was involved in a plot to overthrow the Source. The Source vanquished most of those involved but he decided on a special punishment for Devlin. He was sealed in a cavern of the Underworld for all eternity. Besides, Devlin's power wasn't this powerful. He might be able to encompass a room but not an entire house, especially not one as large as the manor."

"Well, if it's not him, what about the Source?" Phoebe asked. "You said he was sealed in a cavern. Could the Source be using that same magic or power on the manor?"

"I don't think so," said Cole. "He was manacled with what are called binding bracers. They're bracelet-like items that prevent any magical being from accessing their powers. Then the Source had him put in a special chamber and had that chamber sealed. And Enforcer Demons are stationed at the only entrance to the chamber to keep any demon out. But the bracers affect only the person or creature they're place on. They don't affect any area of affect."

"Well, it's the only thing in the Book of Shadows that make any reference to anything like this," said Paige. "Is it possible it's some demon that's not in the book?"

"That's very possible," said Leo. "Not all demons in the Underworld are in the Book of Shadows. Only the demons that your ancestors have encountered are in there. In some cases they could be ones your ancestors heard about but not actually encountered, but there are a lot of demons that aren't listed in the book."

"Which doesn't narrow it down very much," said Piper. "There could be dozens of demons not listed in the Book of Shadows."

"More like hundreds," said Cole. "A lot of demons never come to the mortal plane and wouldn't have been encountered by any human. But most of them are so low in power they wouldn't be a threat to any of you."

"Hey, is everything okay?"

They all looked up to see Darryl standing in the entryway looking into the living room.

"Darryl?" questioned Piper. "How did you get in here?"

"The door was unlocked," said Darryl. "I tried the doorbell but I didn't hear it and figured it wasn't working. And when I knocked no one answered. All of your cars are still out front and when no one answered I became worried so I let myself in. I hope you don't mind."

"No, no," said Phoebe. She looked at the others. "Maybe the barrier is gone? Maybe whoever put it up couldn't keep it up any longer and it's gone now."

They all hurried to the front door and saw it standing open. Phoebe walked up to the door and put her hand up but was met with the same barrier that had kept them prisoner in the manor the entire morning."

"Darryl," said Cole, "see if you can leave."

Perplexed, Darryl walked up to the front door and attempted to leave through the front door. However, just as with the others, he was prevented from leaving the manor by the same barrier that prevented the others from leaving.

"What the hell?" questioned Darryl. "There wasn't a barrier when I entered. What's going on here?"

"We aren't quite sure," said Piper. "All we know is that we can't seem to leave the manor."

"Well, we've learned one thing," said Cole. "The barrier is one-way. Apparently it's designed to keep people in but not out. Which means that anyone who enters the house is going to be trapped in here with us."

"Trapped?" questioned Darryl. "Oh, no, I can't be trapped in here. I have a meeting with my captain in just over an hour and I can't miss it. You have to figure a way out of here."

"We're working on it," said Leo. "Unfortunately not even Cole or I can get out. Whoever put this barrier around the manor was able to include any magical means of escape."

"Oh, this is just great," said Darryl. "I just stop by to say hello and I get trapped in some magical trap. This is just great."

"We understand how you feel," said Piper. "And we're going to figure a way out of here, I promise you. We just need to stay calm and think."

"I don't understand," said Paige. "If Darryl could enter the manor how come we aren't getting any gas, electricity, or water? Shouldn't they be able to enter the house, too?"

"Not necessarily," said Cole. "It's beginning to look like Devlin may be behind this, although I'm at a loss about how he's doing it. Like I said, he was never this powerful."

"What makes you think that?" Leo asked.

"Devlin's power had one unique characteristic," explained Cole. "It allowed any living matter from enter the affected area but prevented it from leaving. But non-living material, like gas or electricity, couldn't pass through it either way. Which means as long as we're trapped in here we aren't going to have any utilities at all."

"Oh, that's just great," said Phoebe. "If this barrier stays up long enough we could end up starving to death or dying of thirst. That's a comforting thought."

"It probably won't come to that," said Cole hesitantly.

"Okay, Turner," said Piper. "What is it you haven't told us?"

"Well," said Cole, "like I said, it prevents any non-living material from passing either way through the barrier. That includes oxygen. Which means that whatever oxygen was inside the barrier when it when up is all that we have. When it's gone no more will be able to get in. I doubt we'll have to worry about starving to death or dying of thirst. We'll probably suffocate long before that happens."


	5. Chapter 5

FOUR

"Oh, you're just full of good news," said Piper. "Any other tidbits of information you'd care to pass onto us?"

"Not much," said Cole. "It was seventy years ago. I barely remember Devlin. Like I said, I only met him a couple of times."

"What kind of demonic name is Devlin?" Paige asked.

"It's the name he used in human form," Cole said. "Devlin Baker. His demonic name was Giltarren but even in his demonic form he preferred the name Devlin. Over time almost everyone stopped using his demonic name and just referred to him as Devlin. Even the Source referred to him that way."

"But didn't you say that Devlin was sealed away in an Underworld cavern?" Leo questioned.

"Yes," said Cole. "A group of mid-level demons decided to wrest power from the Source. But they never took into account just how powerful the Source really was. The plan was for Devlin to create a barrier around the Source that was nearly skintight. While the other demons kept the Source's bodyguards busy Devlin was supposed to use his ability to suffocate the Source."

"Demons can suffocate?" questioned Darryl. "I just figured they didn't need to breath."

"Demons may be supernatural," said Leo, "but they still possess physical bodies. And those bodies are not unlike any body of humans. They still require food, sleep, oxygen, a lot of the things that humans need."

"That's true," said Cole. "Demons can subsist on a lot less oxygen than most humans but they still need a minimum amount of oxygen or they'll suffocate. Since oxygen can't pass through the barriers that Devlin can create whatever oxygen was in the barrier around the Source would have been all the Source would have to breathe. Once it was gone even the Source would have suffocated."

"Obviously that never happened," said Phoebe. "What happened?"

"Malevant happened," said Cole. "He's one of the Source's primary advisors. But in those days he was just another demon in the hierarchy. He had learned about the plan to attack the Source and when Devlin and the others attacked Malevant was waiting for them. Within moments most of the traitors were vanquished. Devlin and a few of the others had escaped being vanquished but they were captured by other bodyguards of the Source."

"The Brotherhood of the Thorn," said Leo.

"Yes," said Cole. "I wasn't a member of the Brotherhood then so I had nothing to do with it. But when the entire Brotherhood shows up at the same time there are very few demons that can stand against them. Seeing themselves outnumbered and outpowered as they were, the traitors surrendered, begging mercy from the Source."

"From what we know of the Source, mercy isn't one of is big traits," said Piper.

"Not, it isn't," said Cole. "Most of the traitors he vanquished immediately. But Devlin had attacked him personally. The Source felt that vanquishing was too quick and easy for him. So he locked the binding bracers on Devlin and sealed him in the cavern. He decreed that no demon was to ever go to the chamber and that Devlin was to be kept imprisoned there for all eternity."

"All eternity in solitary confinement?" questioned Darryl. "That's some pretty harsh treatment."

"The Source prided himself on his sadistic punishments," said Cole. "Not all demons that displease him are vanquished. "Some, like Devlin, suffer what is considered worse than death by most demons. It's one of the reasons he's been in power for so long.

"Anyway, for helping to safe the Source, Malevant was offered any reward the Source could give him. Malevant asked that he only be allowed to serve the Source as he had done for several decades. And command of an area of the Underworld that most demons avoided. So the Source granted his request and he became one of several personal advisors to the Source. Over the decades since Malevant has risen to be the undisputed primary advisor to the Source. And one of the most sadistic demons in the Underworld."

"Boy, this Malevant sounds like a real nice guy," said Paige.

"He's not, believe me," said Cole. "He's half demon, half White Lighter. And he's one of the most powerful demons in the Underworld. Plus he hates humanity with a passion. He won't even allow his underlings to appear before him in human form. I've even heard stories that he's vanquished underlings who dared to do so."

"And we thought we had problems with the Source," said Phoebe.

"What about Devlin?" Piper asked. "You said he was banished to this chamber in the Underworld. You think he's found some way out of the chamber? Maybe he's doing this to regain favor with the Source."

"That's unlikely," said Cole. "The binding bracers can't be removed by the creature they're attached to. They can only be physically removed by someone else. So he wouldn't have had access to his powers. And without his powers he would have no chance of escaping the Underworld."

"Maybe another demon helped him escape," suggested Paige.

"That's unlikely as well," said Cole. "The demons guarding his prison take their jobs very seriously. The Sourced ordered that any demon even attempting to release Devlin is to be vanquished on sight. And trust me. No demon, not even the higher levels ones, are willing to go up against Enforcer Demons in personal service to the Source."

"They must be some powerful demons," said Darryl.

"They are," said Leo. "Their physically the strongest demons in the Underworld. At least twice as strong as any other demon from what I hear."

"More like three times as strong," said Cole. "And they're big. Bigger than even Belthazor. It's said that pound for pound no demon can beat an Enforcer in a physical fight. And no demon has had the guts to test that."

"So no one is willing to try and free him," said Piper. "If it is him how did he get out of his prison?"

"Maybe the Source released him," suggested Phoebe.

"It would be very unlike the Source to lift the banishment of any demon he's banished," said Cole. "He's never done it before."

"He wasn't after us before," said Piper. "Maybe he released this Devlin so he could use Devlin's power against us."

"That would certainly explain the barrier," said Leo. "You said this barrier was just like the type he was able to cast. Is it possible that the Source has lifted his banishment of Devlin in exchange for Devlin using his power to trap us here?"

"I suppose that's a possibility," said Cole. "The Source does want you pretty badly. And he's willing to do just about anything to get you. It would be in keeping with his personality. But even if he did it doesn't explain how Devlin could have encompassed the entire house. Remember I told you he might be able to cover an entire room but not the whole house."

"Maybe his power has increased while he's been in his prison," suggested Phoebe. "We all know that magical beings grow stronger as they get older. Is it possible he's grown powerful enough to cover the whole house."

"He might have grown a little stronger but not that strong," said Cole. "It's only been about seventy years and demons don't grow in power the same way witches do. That's because they live much longer. So it takes longer for their powers to grow. Maybe in another fifty or one hundred years he might have grown strong enough to encompass the entire house. But not in the seventy years he's been in his prison."

"Besides," said Leo, "powers are like muscles. They have to be exercised regularly to grow. If he's had binding bracers on all this time his powers wouldn't have increased very much at all. He'd still have his powers because they're a part of who he is. But he wouldn't be able to exercise them so they wouldn't grow substantially."

"Leo's right," said Cole. "There's just no way Devlin could be doing this. He just doesn't have the power for it."

"Well if it isn't Devlin, then who is it?" Paige asked.

"I don't know," said Cole. "I don't know of any other demons with this type of power. And certainly none with enough power to do what it's doing."

"Okay, I know I'm the only non-magical one here," said Darryl. "But wouldn't it be possible for this Devlin to get some kind of extra power? Kind of like the girls when they combine their power into the Power of Three?"

"It doesn't work that way," said Leo. "The girls can combine their powers because they're related by blood. No one else, especially demons, can do that."

"Unless he got a power boost," said Cole thoughtfully.

"What do you mean power boost?" Pipe asked.

"Something that would enhance his power," said Cole. "He can't combine his power with anyone else but it might be possible to enhance it. Kind of like putting a power booster in a car. The car really isn't any more powerful but the booster gives it additional power."

"Okay, so he's found a power booster," said Paige.

"It would have to be a very powerful one," said Leo.

"Yes, it would," said Cole. "And as far as I know there's only one thing powerful enough to increase Devlin's power this much."

"The Nexus," Leo and Cole said in unison.


	6. Chapter 6

FIVE

"The what?" Darryl questioned.

"The Nexus," said Piper. "It's a very powerful magic directly under the manor. In fact, it's why the house was built here."

"It's kind of like a magic generator," said Leo. "It produces a very powerful neutral magic. Whoever controls the Nexus determines if that magic is good or evil. It's why the girls are most powerful here in the manor. The Nexus augments their natural magic."

"So if you can use this Nexus, just use it to get rid of the barrier," said Darryl.

"It doesn't work that way," said Cole. "Besides, I think I know what happened. Devlin wouldn't be able to tap into the power of the Nexus without alerting the girls, Leo, even the Elders. And I would have noticed it as well."

"Then how is he using it?" Phoebe asked.

"Technically, he isn't," said Cole. "At least that's what I'm guessing. He'd never be able to control it. He's not that powerful."

"Then what is he doing?" Piper asked.

"I think," said Cole, "that he hasn't used his power on the manor. Instead, he's used it on the Nexus itself. He's used his power to create a barrier around the Nexus. Only it would have to encompass even the radiant energy of the Nexus. And the power of the Nexus would enhance his ability to allow him to do that. He's encompassed the power of the Nexus which covers the entire house so the barrier would naturally cover the entire house as well."

"Is there any way to stop him?" Darryl asked.

"I'm not sure," said Cole.

"Besides, it would be too dangerous," said Phoebe. "There's a demonic force in the cellar called a Woogie that lives off the Nexus. Grams was able to trap it down there when we were kids. It broke free a couple of years ago and we were able to use the same spell to bind it again. But if we break this barrier around the Nexus we might risk setting the Woogie free. And that is definitely not an option."

"What's more," said Cole, "I don't think even a Power of Three spell will be effective in removing the barrier. The power of the Nexus would have increased Devlin's power so much that the Power of Three wouldn't be as powerful as it normally would be. Which means it wouldn't be nearly powerful enough to overcome the barrier."

"Are you sure?" Paige asked. "You guys keep telling me how powerful the Power of Three is and I've seen it myself. It's pretty powerful."

"So is the Nexus," said Leo. "I think Cole is right. With the increased power from the Nexus the barrier would be increased just as much. Even the Power of Three would be nothing more than normal magic to it. And normal magic isn't enough to break this barrier."

"So that's it?" Darryl asked excitedly. "We just sit in here and wait to suffocate?"

"Calm down, Darryl," said Phoebe. "We haven't given up yet. We just have to figure out a way to get rid of this barrier."

"The only way to do that is to get Devlin to remove it," said Cole. "If you use magic against it there's no telling what affect the Nexus would have on your spell. The safest way is to have Devlin remove the barrier himself."

"That's going to be a neat trick," said Piper. "Considering that we have no way to even find out where he is let alone try to persuade him to do it. Which I'm not sure he'd be willing to do anyway considering it sounds like this is his way out of his prison."

"I don't know," said Cole. "It all depends on how we ask him. But our first order of business is to find some way to get hold of him and that means finding a way past this barrier."

"But if we can find a way past the barrier, why bother with Devlin at all?" Paige questioned. "Once we find a way past the barrier we'll be out of the manor and we'll be able to move around again."

"And each time we come back into the manor we'll be trapped in here again," said Leo. "Besides we can't leave the Nexus unguarded like that."

"Which leaves us with a catch 22," said Piper. "We can't get out of the manor until the barrier is gone and we can't remove the barrier until we figure a way out of the manor.'

"Oh, I don't know," said Cole. "Like I said, we could ask Devlin to remove it. All we have to do is get his attention."

"And how do we do that?" Leo asked.

"A summoning spell," said Cole. "A Power of Three summoning spell. We use it to summon Devlin here."

"But you said if we used a Power of Three spell on this barrier it could have unforeseen affects," said Phoebe.

"Yes," said Cole, "if we use it to try and remove the barrier. Using a summoning spell is a different matter. If we try to remove the barrier with magic it's going to resist. But using a summoning spell is different. It's like the barrier will act as an antennae for the spell making it even more powerful."

"So we just summon Devlin here and then what?" Piper asked. "Just politely ask him to remove the barrier?"

"Something like that," said Cole. "But first we have to get his attention. Honestly, I don't think a summoning spell will bring him here. But it will get his attention and maybe he'll come here out of curiosity."

"Just like that?" Phoebe asked. "He'll come here just to find out what we want?"

"Just like that," said Cole. "Most demons are notoriously curious. Even though he'll probably know why we're trying to summon him he'll still be curious. About what we're offering him to turn on the Source."

"You want to bribe him to turn on the Source?" Leo asked.

"No, but he won't know that," said Cole. "That's what he'll be thinking. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why we'd be trying to summon him. But he's a demon. His first inclination will be that we want to make a deal with him. Some form of payment for removing the barrier. He'll be curious about what that payment will be."

"And once we get him here then what?" Piper asked. "We don't exactly have anything we can use to bribe him with."

"One problem at a time," said Cole. "Let's just get him here and see what happens then."

"Okay," said Phoebe. "I'll see about rewriting the Power of Three spell into a Power of Three summoning spell instead. Only let's not change it again, okay? These are difficult enough to write without having to change them halfway through."

"Don't' worry," said Cole. "This is the best course of action. Just write the spell and we'll go from there."

"What if this doesn't work?" Leo asked. "What if he doesn't take the bait?"

"We'll deal with that when and if it happens," said Cole. "Come on. Think positively."

"I can't believe we're actually trying to bring a demon into the manor," said Piper. "We spend so much time trying to keep them out it just seems so weird trying to get one to come here."

"Well, if Cole's strategy works it will be worth it," said Leo.

"And if it doesn't?" Paige asked. "Then we'll have a demon in the house with no way to escape it."

"Then we'll just vanquish his butt," said Piper.

"Speaking of which," said Paige, "is there a vanquishing potion or spell for this Devlin?"

"I don't know," said Cole. "Like I said, it's been seventy years since he was put in his prison by the Source. Most demons simply forgot about him. Once the Source banishes a demon that's usually the last anyone hears from them."

"You think he's in the Book of Shadows?" Piper asked.

"I don't know," said Leo. "Can't hurt to check."

"I'll check," said Paige. "It beats sitting around here waiting for Phoebe to come up with a spell."

"Well," said Piper, "I guess I can go see what we have for lunch. Without an oven or a stove my selection is going to be limited though."

"I'll go with you," said Cole. "I still have my energy balls. At least we don't have to worry about a cold meal."

Paige headed for he attic as Piper, Leo, and Cole headed into the kitchen. Phoebe continued to work on the spell. Darryl just sat in the living room feeling like a fifth wheel.

"Well, this should do it," Phoebe announced after she had finished the spell. "If this doesn't get him here I don't know what will."

"It should do nicely," said Cole. "Like I said, this isn't likely to force him to come here but it should get his attention. He's been out of commission for quite a while. He'll be interested in seeing how things have changed."

"Well, I'll ask again," said Leo. "If this doesn't work, what do we do then?"

"We may have no choice but to try a Power of Three spell on the barrier," said Piper.

"And like I said that could be dangerous," said Cole. "It could end up killing everyone. There's just no way to determine how a spell will react against the Nexus."

"Well the oxygen in this bubble is going to give out sooner or later," said Darryl. "If that happens we're all dead anyway. I, for one, would prefer to go out fighting instead of sitting here like a sheep being led to the slaughter."

"Let's just wait and see if this works, first," said Piper. "If it does we may not need to worry about that. If it doesn't we can decide what to do then."

"Well, I guess we might as well get this over with," said Paige. "The spell isn't going to cast itself."

Together the sisters intoned the spell that hopefully would summon Devlin to them.


	7. Chapter 7

SIX

"It's working perfectly," Devlin said. "The entire house is encased in the force bubble. No one can get out. In addition nothing can get in. Which means that eventually all the air in the bubble will be used up and the witches will suffocate. You'll be rid of them forever."

"What of the traitor and the White Lighter?" the Source asked.

"Well, if what you've told me is correct, the traitor may last a bit longer than the witches," said Devlin. "His demonic constitution will allow him to survive a bit longer. But eventually all of the oxygen in the bubble will be gone. He'll suffer the same fate as the witches."

"And the White Lighter?" questioned Malevant.

"I'm afraid there's not much I can do about that," said Devlin. "As you are both aware, White Lighters can only be killed by a Dark Lighter. They don't require oxygen. So that won't affect him.

"However, he'll still be trapped in the manor. I should think it would be an easy matter for you to arrange a Dark Lighter to dispatch him. I could even leave the bubble in place until he's actually dead so that he can't get any assistance from another White Lighter."

"You have done well, Devlin," said the Source. "Your service to me will prove invaluable."

"All I ask is that you keep our bargain," said Devlin. "Release me from my prison and I will serve you faithfully."

"You've all ready proven yourself a traitor once," said Malevant. "Why should the Source trust you now?"

"Because I've had seventy years to consider my mistake," said Devlin. "Believe me, I have no desire to return to my existence in that cavern."

"You have honored your part of the agreement," said the Source. "Once the witches have been dispatched your banishment will be ended. But I warn you. If you turn against me again I will make your prison in that chamber preferable to what I will do to you then."

"You have no need to fear that," said Devlin. "My compatriots are all gone. And I know of no other demons strong enough to even attempt to overthrow you. Even if I did, it is quite evident that siding against you would be a monumental mistake. One I shall not be making in the future."

"Just see that it stays that way," said Malevant.

"You've come a long way since I was imprisoned," Devlin said to Malevant. "Seventy years ago you were nothing more than another mid-level demon with aspirations of rising within the hierarchy. Now you are primary advisor to the Source of All Evil. You have done well for yourself."

"I have proven myself a valuable asset to the Source," said Malevant. "I have earned my place in the hierarchy."

"Oh, I wasn't implying otherwise," said Devlin. "I only mention it because at the time I didn't think you would ever come of anything. Or that you'd end up getting yourself vanquished. You're half White Lighter. I would have thought that would have been a weakness in you."

"Weakness can be overcome," said Malevant. "And one can hardly be held accountable for the happenstance of one's birth. And being half White Lighter doesn't imply that I am in the least bit pacifistic. If you betray the Source again you will learn firsthand just how unlike a White Lighter I can truly be."

"Oh, I believe you, Malevant," said Devlin. "If you were anything like a White Lighter you would never have risen as high as you have. And I have no desire to test your dedication to the Source. Believe me, my days of disloyalty to the Underworld have long since passed. I've been given a second chance and I intend to use it wisely."

"That is good to hear," said Malevant. "Just one last matter. In the future when we have dealings, you will appear to me only in your demonic form. The sight of a human form disgusts me. And I can be particularly harsh to those underlings who deign to disregard my wishes in this matter."

"No problem," said Devlin. "I may prefer my human name over that of my demonic name but that doesn't make me human. If you wish me to appear only in my demonic form I am more than willing to oblige you."

"Well, Malevant, it seems imprisonment has taught this particular human some humility," said the Source.

"Yes," said Malevant. "That's a human trait but one that can serve you well. But I will still continue to watch him closely for a time. To make sure that his newfound change of heart is not a ruse. If I should suspect that it is you may not get the chance to deal with him. I will deal with him myself."

"My, my, you are the suspicious type," said Devlin. "But you'll see. It's not a ruse. I know my place in the hierarchy. And I have no intentions of pushing my luck a second time."

"That would be wise," said the Source. "I can tell you that Malevant can be singularly vindictive when he puts his mind to it. It is a trait that I have had occasion to put to good use in the past. And I can tell you that his threat is not unfounded. If you do betray me he will most definitely deal with you himself."

"I understand," said Devlin. "But as I said, I have no. . . ."

He suddenly cocked his head to one side as if listening to some sound in the distance.

"Are you all right?" Malevant asked.

"Someone seems to be summoning me," said Devlin. "It has been a while but I recognize it. Now who would be summoning me?"

"More importantly," questioned the Source, "how would they know to do so? No one but you, Malevant, the demons guarding your prison, and myself know you have been removed from the prison. How would anyone know to summon you?"

"The Charmed Ones," Malevant hissed. "It must be they who are summoning him."

"How could they possibly know?" the Source asked.

"Devlin's power," said Malevant. "The traitor must have figured out it was he that was creating the barrier around their house. He always was quite ingenious. And there are few demons that know as much about other demons as Belthazor does. He must have remembered what your power was."

"But why would they be summoning me?" Devlin asked.

"To barter, no doubt," said the Source. "I believe they think they can bribe you into removing the barrier around their home. Although I am at a loss to understand what they could possibly offer a demon in exchange for his betrayal of me?"

"Perhaps they believe that since he betrayed you once they can entice him to do so again," said Malevant.

"As I said," said Devlin. "That is not about to happen."

"Then ignore the summons," said the Source. "Let them die knowing that their final hope of escape has eluded them."

"No," said Malevant. "Perhaps he should answer the summons."

"To what end?" the Source asked.

"To taunt them," said Malevant. "It is only a matter of time before the oxygen in the barrier bubble is exhausted. They must be desperate if they are attempting to summon him. A last ditch effort to save themselves. What better punishment than to taunt them with the very escape they seek only to have it pulled out from under them when he refuses. Despite their enticement to him."

"Yes," said the Source, gleefully. "What is the humans say? Adding insult to injury? How sadistically delicious. Perhaps Devlin should answer the summons."

"There is another reason," said Devlin. "With another person inside the bubble the oxygen will be depleted just that much quicker. Every moment I spend there will drain more of the precious gas from inside the barrier. It will hasten their deaths even quicker."

"Of course," said Malevant. "The more people inside the barrier the quicker it will be used up. And the quicker we can celebrate the deaths of our greatest foes."

"I like it," said the Source. "They must not realize that by summoning Devlin they are actually hastening their own deaths."

"Or they are so desperate they are willing to take that chance," said Malevant. "Besides, it will be a good way to test Devlin's newfound loyalty. If he goes to them and then leaves them there to die it will be one step closer to proving his loyalty to you."

"Agreed," said the Source. "Answer their summons, Devlin. Show the witches that you are loyal to me and that their deaths are inevitable. Then return here."

"As you wish," said Devlin. He then shimmered out of the Underworld.

"Do you think we can really trust him?" the Source asked.

"We will know very soon," said Malevant.

"Do you think it worked?" Paige asked.

"I don't know," said Phoebe. "If nothing can get outside the barrier I don't see how it's going to summon Devlin."

"His magic is what's powering this barrier," said Cole. "He'll notice the summoning through that connection. That's why it won't be powerful enough to force him to come here but he'll know that you're summoning him."

"And what do we do when he gets here?" Piper asked.

"He removes the barrier or we vanquish him," said Phoebe.

"That's not a good idea," said Cole. "If you vanquish him the power suddenly stopping could react with the Nexus. And you don't want that to happen."

"It's never happened before," protested Phoebe. "Why should it happen now?"

"Because of the power of the Nexus," said Leo. "You really have no idea just how powerful it is. If the barrier is drawing power from the Nexus, suddenly stopping all that power by vanquishing Devlin could cause it to back up into the Nexus. That could cause a reaction that we can't predict."

"I see," said Paige. "So vanquishing him is out of the question. So like Piper asked, what do we do once he gets here?"

"I'll talk to him," said Cole. "Demon to demon. Maybe he'll listen to reason. I might be able to convince him to remove it."

"How?" Leo asked. "You said you only met him a couple of times. It's not like he's an old friend or anything. How do you plan to convince him to remove the barrier?"

"I'll think of something," said Cole. "I usually do. Remember, I'm a lawyer. I'm used to thinking on my feet. Not to mention I was a mercenary for a great many years. You learn to improvise in that line of work. Things rarely go as you plan them."

"Okay," said Piper. "Assuming you can't convince him to remove the barrier. What do we do then?"

"Well," said Cole, "we begin by you freezing him. And then you trap him in the crystal prison. After that we just keep him here until the oxygen begins to run out. Once that happens he'll have to remove it so he won't suffocate with the rest of us."

"And then we can vanquish him," said Paige. "So he can't do it again."

"A very admirable plan. I must say it seems to be worthy of the reputation I've been told about Belthazor. Too bad it won't work."

They all looked toward the entryway and saw Devlin leaning against the railing on the second floor of the manor. He stood there smiling at the group who sat I the living room staring at him.


	8. Chapter 8

SEVEN

"Devlin," said Cole. "It's been a long time. A very long time."

"Belthazor," said Devlin. "I remember you. It may have been seventy years ago but I do recall meeting you. As I recall you were always a bit insecure because you were half human."

"I got over it," said Cole. "And I go by Cole now, not Belthazor."

"Of course," said Devlin. "That's what I was told."

"And just what makes you think our plan won't work?" Piper asked.

"First, I know about it," replied Devlin. "Secondly, you're freezing power won't work on me."

"You're not high level enough to be immune to her power," said Cole.

"That's true," said Devlin. "But then again, I have this."

He raised his hand extending the palm toward them. The palm glowed slightly. It was a reddish colored glow and covered the entire palm area."

"Absorption," said Cole.

"What's that?" Phoebe asked.

"It means he has the power to absorb magic used against him," said Leo. "It's relatively rare. But he's right. If he has that power it means he can just absorb it if it's used against him."

"Exactly," said Devlin. "If you do try to freeze me I'll just absorb your power and then shimmer away. And then I'll leave you here to die."

"Isn't that what you plan to do anyway?" Cole asked.

"Actually, yes," said Devlin. "In exchange I get to go free. Provided I don't ever try to overthrow the Source again. Which I was more than happy to agree with. I'm sure you can understand my eagerness to adhere to the Source's restrictions."

"I can," said Cole. "You've been away a very long time. I imagine any demon would be willing to agree to his demands after what you've been through."

"Of course," said Devlin. "You have no idea what it's like. Sealed away in a single chamber without any powers. No one to talk with not even my guards. That had strict orders that no one was to speak to me, not even them. Oh, I could talk to them. But they weren't allowed to respond. And being the good little demons they were, they never did. Not even once."

"Okay, so you've had a rough time," said Piper. "You're free now. Just remove the barrier and you can go on your way. I'm sure Cole can tell you places where you can hide that the Source will never find you."

"A tempting offer," said Devlin. "But that would require me to leave the Underworld. And to be honest, I have plans. Plans that require me to remain in the Underworld. I'm sure there are any number of demons that can use a demon of my abilities. Malevant seems to be one such demon. And he's very high in the hierarchy."

"Sure," said Cole. "Except he'll never trust you. You betrayed the Source. That's not something you are able to redeem yourself from in the Underworld, especially from Malevant. More than likely he'll end up vanquishing you so he won't have to worry about you any more."

"Not once you're dead," said Devlin. "As I said, by using my power to trap you here the Source has promised that I will go free. And it should be easy enough to prove my loyalty to the Source once more. I've had seventy years to think about it. I have a few ideas along those lines all ready."

"What makes you think you'll be able to leave here?" Darryl asked. "According to them nothing can pass through this barrier to get outside. Seems to me that by coming here you've trapped yourself with us."

"Hardly," said Devlin. "You see that's one of the characteristics of my ability. It prevents anything from passing through it except me. I'm immune to my own power. It's not so unusual. I understand that good witches are immune to the oldest sisters' freezing ability. I can leave any time I want to."

"So what's keeping you here?" Leo asked.

"Oxygen," said Devlin. "Every minute I remain here is one less minute of oxygen you have. As I'm also sure Belthazor – oh, excuse me, Cole – has told you, not even oxygen can pass through the barrier. Which means that once the oxygen inside the barrier is gone it's bye bye witches. Not to mentions that Cole will follow shortly thereafter."

"It won't affect me," said Leo. "I'm a White Lighter. Lack of oxygen won't affect me."

"True," said Devlin, "but a Dark Lighter can. Once the witches are dead the Source will send in a couple of Dark Lighters to take care of you. Like White Lighters, Dark Lighters are unaffected by the lack of oxygen. And trapped inside the barrier it's only a matter of time before they find you and finish you. All nice and neat."

"If you think we're just going to sit here and let you kill us, you don't know us very well," said Phoebe.

"Actually, I don't know you at all," said Devlin. "Except for what Malevant and the Source has told me. But I must admit what they have told me is impressive. I knew some of the demons you've vanquished. Some of them were very good. You as well must be very good to have vanquished them."

"We are," said Piper.

"Yes," said Devlin. "But you must also be desperate to summon me here and try to persuade me to remove the barrier. I would imagine you've examined your predicament from every possible angle. That's why you've summoned me here. You think I would be foolish enough to betray the Source a second time and let you go."

"Not really," said Cole. "I never really believed you betray the Source a second time. After all, like you said, you've had a long time to think about it. And after that length of time as I said I imagine any demon would agree to whatever he demanded. I never thought for a minute that we'd be able to talk you out of it."

"You didn't?" Phoebe questioned. "But you said you could persuade him to remove the barrier. That was the purpose of bringing him here."

"I know that's what I said," said Cole. "I couldn't risk that the Source was watching the manor. If he had suspected what I was really up to he would never have let Devlin answer the summons."

"I see your devious reputation is well deserved," said Devlin. "So, if you didn't think you could change my mind, why did you have them summon me in the first place?"

"I'd like to know the answer to that myself," said Piper. "If you lied about that what else have you lied to us about?"

"I didn't lie, exactly," said Cole. "There was always a chance we could have talked him out of it. I just didn't think it was a very good chance. Seems I was right about that."

"So why get us to summon him here?" Paige asked.

"To get him here," said Cole, smiling.

"Okay, I don't understand," said Darryl. "You must have had a reason for bringing him here. Something besides just getting him here. What did you plan to do once he was here?"

"Nothing," said Cole. "Nothing at all."

"Cole Turner," said Piper, her anger starting to flare, "you'd better start explaining things real fast. I'm getting tired of this really fast."

"You have my interest piqued," said Devlin. "You say you had nothing planned after I arrived here. I'm as curious as these witches. What could possibly possess you to get me here when you had no plan after that? From what I've been told you always have a plan. You even have a contingency plan in case your primary plan fails. I'm curious to hear what your primary plan is."

"Yes, old habits are very hard to break," said Cole. "And as you said, I always have a plan. And usually a contingency plan as well. And I guess this time is no exception. I do indeed have a plan. But unlike so many other times in the past, my only plan was to get you here. Nothing more."

"I don't understand," said Leo. "What kind of a plan is that?"

"The best kind," said Cole, smiling again. "The Nexus is a powerful magic. One of the most powerful known. I'd dare say that it rivals some of the most powerful magic known. Any demon would give anything to have access to it."

"We know that," said Piper. "That's why our ancestors built the manor here. To protect the Nexus from evil."

"Oh, it was for much more than that," said Cole. "Another reason they built the manor here was to have access to its power. Although they don't actually tap into the power of the Nexus that power does enhance their powers. And, in a sense, theirs enhances it."

"What are you talking about?" Paige asked.

"No, he's right," said Leo. "It does enhance your powers. In order to do that your powers have to sort of intertwine. Mingle together. While you're in the manor your magic and the magic of the Nexus in effect become one power."

"Okay, it's never been explained that way but that much we know," said Piper. "It still doesn't explain why Cole would want to bring Devlin here when he had no other plan in mind."

"Oh, as I said," said Cole. "That was the plan. To get Devlin here. And get him to voluntarily remove the barrier. Which I'm sure he'll be more than glad to do."

"And just why would I want to do that?" Devlin asked.

"Because," said Cole, "the girls control the Nexus. In a manner of speaking, anyway. And as Leo explained, whoever controls the Nexus determines if the magic is good or evil. In this case, the magic is good since the sisters are good."

"I still don't see what you're getting at," said Devlin.

"It's very simple," said Cole. "Since the girls are good thereby making the power of the Nexus good, that means any power coming from the Nexus is by nature good. Even if that power should originally have been demonic in nature. Once that power combines with the Nexus it will also be converted to good despite the fact that a demon is still controlling it."

"Okay, so?" questioned Devlin.

"It means," said Cole, "that technically the barrier is no longer part of your magic. The magic that allows you to create the barrier. Although demonic in origin, the barrier has been subtly altered to conform to the magic in the Nexus. It would have to in order to completely encompass the manor as it has. And that means that the barrier is comprised of good magic not the demonic magic that is powering it."

"This is confusing," said Phoebe. "How can it be good magic if the source of the magic is demonic in nature?"

"Because," said Leo, "the demonic magic that Devlin is supplying to the barrier is altered once it combines with the barrier. Look at it like the engine of a car. The car runs on gasoline. But not the liquid from the gasoline. It's the fumes the gasoline gives off. The gas is supplied to the engine from whatever source it has, namely the fuel injection. But once it enters the engine the fumes are converted into fuel. It's not an exact analogy but you get the idea."

"Okay," said Phoebe, "so the magic Devlin is feeding into the barrier is being converted into good magic. It's still creating the barrier that we can't pass through."

"Neither can he," said Cole. "You see, once the magic powering the barrier is changed to good magic, it ceases being Devlin's power. I'm guessing that also means he ceases being immune to it. Which means the moment he entered the manor he became trapped along with the rest of us. And the only way for him to get out is to remove the barrier."

Everyone looked at Devlin who simply stared at Cole with a very strange look on his face.


	9. Chapter 9

EIGHT

"I can see by the look on your face that I'm right," said Cole. "My guess is that you've all ready tried to shimmer out but can't."

"But he didn't try to shimmer," said Piper.

"Oh, he would be affected a little differently from the rest of us," said Cole. "We're surrounded by the barrier but he's generating it. I would say that it's probably grounding him so to speak. Preventing him from using his shimmer."

"How do you know so much about the Nexus?" Leo asked. "Not even the Elders know so much about it."

"I was sent to kill the girls," said Cole. "I did a lot of research before I began that assignment. The Nexus hasn't always been controlled by good. Through the centuries it's changed hands several times. In the past, when demons controlled it, they learned a great deal about it. Things that may not be known outside the Underworld. I know things about it that not even the Elders and other demons are aware of."

"Well, it seems I may have misjudged the situation a bit," said Devlin. "How could you possibly know my power would be affected in this manner? We barely met each other. And with me presumably sealed in my prison for all eternity there would have been no reason for you to research my power. How is it that you knew it would be changed as it apparently has been?"

"I didn't for sure," said Cole. "Call it an educated guess. But I was pretty sure it would be affected in some way. This was just the most logical way for it to be affected."

"You took one hell of a chance, Cole," said Piper. "What if you had been wrong? What if he hadn't been affected like that? What if he had shimmered out leaving us here, trapped in this bubble?"

"Remember what Devlin said?" questioned Cole. "I always have a contingency plan. A backup plan in case my primary plan didn't work."

"So you had a backup plan," said Leo. "I'd be curious to know what that plan was."

"It's very simple," said Cole. "I would have waited for him to shimmer away."

"You would just let him leave?" Paige asked. "Oh, that's a great backup plan."

"Actually, it would have been," said Devlin. "Ingenious actually. He waits for me to shimmer out and then he shimmers out, too, hitching a ride on my shimmer, so to speak."

"Ah, I see I've been discovered," said Cole. "I guess all those years locked up haven't dulled your instincts any."

"I don't understand," said Paige. "How would you be able to shimmer out when he shimmered out?"

"Because in our shimmer forms I can intermingle with him," said Cole. "I'd be able to shimmer out with him without any trouble. After that I could then force him to remove the barrier. But it looks like that won't be necessary. If he wants to get out of here he'll have to drop the barrier."

"Yeah, not so fast," said Piper. "What's to keep him from shimmering out and then just putting the barrier back up and trapping us in here again?"

"Because," said Cole, walking over to stand next to Devlin, "Once he drops the barrier I'm going to visit an old friend of mine. He'll keep an eye on the manor for us. And if the barrier should go back up he'll pay our friend, Devlin, a visit. And trust me. It won't be a friendly visit."

"I see," said Devlin. "And this should frighten me why?"

"Because," said Cole. "My old friend is a mercenary. In fact, he was one of my teachers. And he'll make sure the barrier doesn't go back up. Ever. I may be under a death sentence by the Source but I still have a few demons who owe me favors."

"Well, that would be different," said Devlin. "I guess you have me over a barrel, to use a human phrase."

"You better believe it, buddy," said Phoebe. "And just keep in mind that we still have the Power of Three. We can put a spell on the Nexus to make sure you can't do it again. And if you ever try, we can use it to make life very uncomfortable."

"Point taken," said Devlin. "You have no need to worry about that. Plans rarely work as second time on the same victim. At least they didn't used to. I can only imagine that hasn't changed in seventy years."

"Let's get going," said Cole. "I've been stuck in this house for far too long and I want to get the barrier down right now."

"No problem," said Devlin. "I removed the barrier as soon as I found out I couldn't shimmer out of the house. But the conversation has been so stimulating I just had to stick around. I've had so little conversation of late."

"I won't be gone long," said Cole, smiling at Phoebe. "Wait up for me."

"I always do," said Phoebe.

Cole and Devlin shimmered out of the manor.

"What was all that about putting a spell on the Nexus so he couldn't do it again?" Leo asked. "I'm not sure that's even possible."

"He doesn't know that," said Phoebe. "He's been out of action for seventy years. And he knows so little about us I figured it couldn't hurt. It seems he bought it. And once Cole talks to his friend we won't have to worry about Devlin trying that again."

"Yeah, well, we now have another demon to worry about," said Piper. "And that power of his can be a real problem."

"Which one?" Paige asked. "The barrier he can create or that absorption ability he has?"

"Both, actually," said Piper. "When Cole gets back we'll need him to fill us in on everything he knows about Devlin. So we can be prepared if he does come back."

"I'll check with the Elders," said Leo. "Some of them might remember some things about him we can use."

"I think Cole needs to fill us in on what he knows about the Nexus, too," said Piper. "Things you can pass on to the Elders. It may come in handy some day."

"That's not a bad idea," said Leo. "If nothing else they should be able to figure out if what he knows is true or not."

"I have an idea," said Phoebe. "We've been trapped in this house for a long time. I say we all go out and get something to eat. No offense, Piper, but right now I don't think I want to stuck in this house right now."

"No offense taken," said Piper. "I think that's a great idea. What about Cole?"

"I'll leave him a note," said Phoebe. "He can meet us at the restaurant."

The four went to their respective rooms to get ready to go out.

The Source slammed his fist down on the stone slab in front of him. Devlin had shimmered into the Underworld and informed the Source and Malevant of the turn of events in the manor.

"So close," he hissed. "We were so close to getting rid of those accursed witches."

"In all fairness," said Devlin, "I did deliver on my part of the bargain. It's not my fault that things turned out the way they did."

"He does have a point," said Malevant. "I should have realized how the Nexus would affect your power. I never considered that the power of the Nexus might interact with your power. We are usually so concerned with the Power of Three we often forget that is not the only power in the Halliwell manor."

"Yes," said the Source. "And Devlin is correct. He did deliver on his end of the bargain. I suppose we can't hold him responsible for circumstances beyond his control."

"I'm confused," said Devlin. "I thought you'd be angry about what happened."

"I am angry," snapped the Source. "I'm angry that the witches still live when we had the chance to finally be rid of them."

"But the Source and I both supported your entering the manor," interjected Malevant. "In fact, we endorsed it wholeheartedly. So the blame for the failure is not completely yours. But you did do as the Source asked. And we do honor our arrangements. Even with a known traitor such as you."

"So I'm free to leave my prison?" Devlin asked.

"Provided that you honor the rest of our agreement," said the Source. "Serve me as all demons must. And never again turn on me as you did."

"You have my word," said Devlin.

"The word of a demon," scoffed Malevant. "Not exactly the best guarantee. I put my trust in actions over words. And remember what I said. At the first sign that you are going to betray the Source again, I will make you sorry. Very sorry."

"I understand," said Devlin. "If I may have your permission to leave now. I have seventy years to catch up on."

"You may leave," said the Source. "But keep yourself available. A demon with your abilities can be quite useful to me in the future."

"You need only summon me," said Devlin. "Malevant."

Malevant just glared at Devlin as the junior demon shimmered out of the chamber.

"You still do not trust him," said the Source.

"He chose to save his own life over vanquishing our enemies," said Malevant. "He should have given his own life before giving up our prize."

"He did have a good point," said the Source. "There was no guarantee he would have been the last one to die once the oxygen inside the barrier was gone. If he had been the first the barrier would have dissipated upon his death and the witches and traitor would have survived. I believe he made the right decision to do as he did. We can use him in the future."

"That is not like you, Source," said Malevant. "You are not usually quite so lenient when a subordinate fails an assignment."

"As you said," replied the Source, "you and I endorsed his decision to go to the manor and taunt the Charmed Ones. We certainly cannot punish him for a failure for which we are partially responsible."

"I suppose not," said Malevant. "Still, I will watch Devlin intently. He may still prove to be untrustworthy."

"Fair enough," said the Source. "Now I must decide what to do next about the witches. I must give it serious thought. There must be a way to rid myself of this constant thorn in my side. I must find the way."

"As you wish," said Malevant, bowing slightly. "I, too, will give it some thought. If I come up with anything I will, of course, inform you immediately."

The Source just nodded as he tried to think of a way to kill the Charmed Ones. Malevant turned and left the chamber. He had to assign some underlings to watch Devlin for even the slightest hint that he had returned to his old ways.

The End

If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more "Charmed" stories at my website, Creative Passions, listed in my bio. You can also post your own "Charmed" stories or other stories if you like to write fan fiction.


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